What do you think of Tyler Wells?

[wildcard]

The O's need starters and they need a shut down closer.   Tyler is performing well and could enter ST has a closer or starter.  He has three good pitches. Baumann is kind of in the same position for next year.  However, Baumann is referred to a as a two pitch pitcher.   That could push him to the pen.   

I don't know how this turns out but it will be interesting to watch.

[Sports Guy]

4 hours ago, connja said:

A high impact starter will throw twice as many innings as a high impact reliever.  For a team trying till up innings, seems to me using your best pitchers in the rotation is the way to go. 

Sure but that’s assuming he would be a high impact starter.

He has been a starting pitcher since 2018.  He has 6 games (5 starts) and 32 innings of experience, as a starter, over A ball.  The most innings he has thrown as a professional is 119.

If you converted him into a starter in 2022, how many innings is he realistically going throw? He has thrown 50 innings this year and, IIRC, he hasn’t thrown more than 3 innings in any outing and he only did that twice this year, early on. 
 

So, the innings aren’t there, the opportunity hasn’t been there and they have shown no willingness to move him.  In fact, they have largely taken innings away from Him by moving him into a high leverage role as opposed to a middle reliever.

I would guess they don’t believe he can start or even if they do, they believe he brings higher value as a reliever than a starter.  I don’t know that I agree with them, at least to the point where I don’t agree that you don’t try and make sure that assessment is correct.

 

[wildcard]

23 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Sure but that’s assuming he would be a high impact starter.

He has been a starting pitcher since 2018.  He has 6 games (5 starts) and 32 innings of experience, as a starter, over A ball.  The most innings he has thrown as a professional is 119.

If you converted him into a starter in 2022, how many innings is he realistically going throw? He has thrown 50 innings this year and, IIRC, he hasn’t thrown more than 3 innings in any outing and he only did that twice this year, early on. 
 

So, the innings aren’t there, the opportunity hasn’t been there and they have shown no willingness to move him.  In fact, they have largely taken innings away from Him by moving him into a high leverage role as opposed to a middle reliever.

I would guess they don’t believe he can start or even if they do, they believe he brings higher value as a reliever than a starter.  I don’t know that I agree with them, at least to the point where I don’t agree that you don’t try and make sure that assessment is correct.

 

I don't think the O's believe that.  I think they see a guy coming for TJ surgery who has not pitching in years.  They think the best way to keep him healthy is to limit his innings in 2021 by making him a reliever.   That do not mean they will not stretch him out in ST to see if he can be a starter.

[Frobby]

My vote would be to try him as a starter. Next year is the year to try him in that role and see what kind of success he has.   If it doesn’t work, you can move him back to the pen in the second half of the year or later.   But we may as well find out.   

[Sports Guy]

40 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I don't think the O's believe that.  I think they see a guy coming for TJ surgery who has not pitching in years.  They think the best way to keep him healthy is to limit his innings in 2021 by making him a reliever.   That do not mean they will not stretch him out in ST to see if he can be a starter.

Why do you think the Os believe that?

[Aristotelian]

I would support what the organization decides in either case. Closer vs starter is a great problem to have. 

[Philip]

I have often said and still think that the idea of a “closer” is stupid. You are restricting your best reliever to a time, and not to a situation, which is foolish.

However, it seems logical that the pitchers with the most versatile arsenal should be the starters. If Wells has four pitches and is what, three years removed from TJ, sure why not try him as a starter. He’s 6’8” and should be able to handle a starter’s load.

[Jammer7]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

My vote would be to try him as a starter. Next year is the year to try him in that role and see what kind of success he has.   If it doesn’t work, you can move him back to the pen in the second half of the year or later.   But we may as well find out.   

I agree. They would have to build him up next year, which would mean limiting his pitch count/innings to some extent. He seems to have a starter’s repertoire and mentality. 

[ChosenOne21]

I think Tyler Wells is a good Major League pitcher that probably every team would like to have on their roster in some capacity.

No idea if he's a starter though. If the team wants to stretch him out to see, I can't imagine that will somehow make him an ineffective reliever if it goes poorly

[Aristotelian]

2 hours ago, Philip said:

I have often said and still think that the idea of a “closer” is stupid. You are restricting your best reliever to a time, and not to a situation, which is foolish.

However, it seems logical that the pitchers with the most versatile arsenal should be the starters. If Wells has four pitches and is what, three years removed from TJ, sure why not try him as a starter. He’s 6’8” and should be able to handle a starter’s load.

I agree to a point but there is something to having a guy who can come in for high leverage outs against both RHB and LHB. They tend to be used most often in the 9th and referred to as closer. I also think they could be used more ofteb to get outs earlier in the game if the situation calls for it. I definitely could see Wells being useful in that capacity if they think his arm won't hold up for 150+ innings.

[Philip]

52 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

I agree to a point but there is something to having a guy who can come in for high leverage outs against both RHB and LHB. They tend to be used most often in the 9th and referred to as closer. I also think they could be used more ofteb to get outs earlier in the game if the situation calls for it. I definitely could see Wells being useful in that capacity if they think his arm won't hold up for 150+ innings.

Oh I have no problem with Using him as a starter or is a reliever, it’s up to them. I remember Neftalí Feliz was a brilliant outstanding reliever, and then they converted him to starter, he lasted two or three starts, blew his arm out, had TJ, and never really recovered. I don’t know the details of that, but his career was ruined after that.

Unless it’s very clear that he can succeed as a starter, it might be safest just to leave him as a reliever, and a reliable reliever is incredibly valuable, and I think of that every time Scott takes the mound.

[Matt Bennett]

Absolutely absurd to keep him in the bullpen next year. 

[Just Regular]

Very nice inning.

[NCRaven]

Maybe Wells prefers his current roll.

[connja]

Guy is a bulldog.  He’ll be a solid pitcher in any role, so put him where he can pitch the most innings.